Swift For Mac App

Developers are doing
great things with Swift.

Swift is a fast and efficient language that provides real-time feedback and can be seamlessly incorporated into existing Objective-C code. So developers are able to write safer, more reliable code, save time, and create even richer app experiences.

Great apps
built using Swift.

More and more developers are incorporating Swift code into their apps. And some are even building all-new apps entirely in Swift.

Feb 12, 2020 Apple’s Swift Playgrounds app is now available for Mac as part of Apple’s Catalyst app initiative, designed to help bridge the software gap between its macOS and iOS platforms.

Better performance
equals better apps.

Swift apps more than live up to the name. For instance, a common search algorithm completes much faster using Swift.

10,000 integers found in a graph
using depth-first search algorithm*

Learn macOS programming by using this free tutorial series. We will walk you through step-by-step on building several macOS apps in Swift 5 and Xcode 10. Swift is a robust and intuitive programming language created by Apple for building apps for iOS, Mac, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. It’s designed to give developers more freedom than ever. Swift is easy to use and open source, so anyone with an idea can create something incredible. Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for Mac and iPad that makes it fun to learn and experiment with code. You solve interactive puzzles in the guided “Learn to Code” lessons to master the basics of coding, or experiment with a wide range of challenges that let you explore many unique coding experiences. Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for Mac and ‌iPad‌ that makes it fun to learn and experiment with code. You solve interactive puzzles in the guided 'Learn to Code' lessons to master.

Educators are adding Swift
to their curriculum.

Developers aren’t the only ones who’ve experienced the potential of Swift. Universities and academic institutions around the world teach with Swift and Xcode on Mac, empowering their students with the best tools to build amazing apps. And with Apple’s free Develop in Swift curriculum, the transition from introductory coding to app development with Swift has never been easier.

Colleges and universities that are incorporating Swift into their courses

• Aberystwyth University
• Borough of Manhattan
  Community College
• California Polytechnic State University
• Central Piedmont Community College
• Foothill College
• Full Sail University

• Houston Community College System
• Ingésup
• Lawson State Community College
• Mesa Community College
• Northwest Kansas Technical College
• Plymouth University

• RMIT University
• Southern Methodist University
• Stanford University
• Technical University of Munich
• Tecnológico de Monterrey
• University of California, Santa Cruz

Swift is everywhere.
And now it’s open for everyone.

Swift is free and open source, and it’s available to a wide audience of developers, educators, and students under the Apache 2.0 open source license. We’re providing binaries for macOS and Linux that can compile code for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and Linux. And to help Swift grow into an even more powerful language, we created a community where users can contribute directly to the Swift source code.

Get started with Swift.

The Definitive Book

Download The Swift Programming Language from the Apple Books Store free. Learn how Swift makes programming easier, more flexible, and more fun.

Download the free book

Xcode

Xcode is the Mac app used to build every other Mac app and every iOS app, too. It has all the tools you need to create an amazing app experience. And it’s available as a free download from the Mac App Store.

Download Xcode from the
Mac App Store

Developer Website

Get detailed technical information and an advanced overview of Swift. Check out the developer blog and stay up to date on the latest news. And enjoy free access to great resources like guides, videos, and sample code.

Learn more

Better apps. Less code.

SwiftUI is an innovative, exceptionally simple way to build user interfaces across all Apple platforms with the power of Swift. Build user interfaces for any Apple device using just one set of tools and APIs. With a declarative Swift syntax that’s easy to read and natural to write, SwiftUI works seamlessly with new Xcode design tools to keep your code and design perfectly in sync. Automatic support for Dynamic Type, Dark Mode, localization, and accessibility means your first line of SwiftUI code is already the most powerful UI code you’ve ever written.

Declarative Syntax

SwiftUI uses a declarative syntax so you can simply state what your user interface should do. For example, you can write that you want a list of items consisting of text fields, then describe alignment, font, and color for each field. Your code is simpler and easier to read than ever before, saving you time and maintenance.

This declarative style even applies to complex concepts like animation. Easily add animation to almost any control and choose a collection of ready-to-use effects with only a few lines of code. At runtime, the system handles all of the steps needed to create a smooth movement, and even deals with interruption to keep your app stable. With animation this easy, you’ll be looking for new ways to make your app come alive.

Design Tools

Mac App Store Download Free

Xcode 11 includes intuitive new design tools that make building interfaces with SwiftUI as easy as dragging and dropping. As you work in the design canvas, everything you edit is completely in sync with the code in the adjoining editor. Code is instantly visible as a preview as you type, and any change you make to that preview immediately appears in your code. Xcode recompiles your changes instantly and inserts them into a running version of your app, visible, and editable at all times.

Drag and drop. Arrange components within your user interface by simply dragging controls on the canvas. Click to open an inspector to select font, color, alignment, and other design options, and easily re-arrange controls with your cursor. Many of these visual editors are also available within the code editor, so you can use inspectors to discover new modifiers for each control, even if you prefer hand-coding parts of your interface. You can also drag controls from your library and drop them on the design canvas or directly on the code.

Dynamic replacement. The Swift compiler and runtime are fully embedded throughout Xcode, so your app is constantly being built and run. The design canvas you see isn’t just an approximation of your user interface — it’s your live app. And Xcode can swap edited code directly in your live app with “dynamic replacement”, a new feature in Swift.

Swift For Apple

Previews. You can now create one or many previews of any SwiftUI views to get sample data, and configure almost anything your users might see, such as large fonts, localizations, or Dark Mode. Previews can also display your UI in any device and any orientation.

Native on All Apple Platforms

Swift For Mac Apps

SwiftUI was built on decades of experience in creating the most innovative and intuitive user interfaces in the world. Everything users love about Apple ecosystems, such as controls and platform-specific experiences, is beautifully presented in your code. SwiftUI is truly native, so your apps directly access the proven technologies of each platform with a small amount of code and an interactive design canvas.